One entrenched problem in our ESL program when I arrived was that students were terribly resistant to moving up to the next level class when their test scores indicated it was time. It became my goal to change that. The woman in the class below mine was on board with the project. It has been a long effort at culture-change that involved such things as mentioning the teacher in the next level so the person's name was familiar, especially saying things like "That's excellent. I think you're ready for Miss Rebecca's class." I would also give talks about how the levels in our classes work and the differences between them. For instance, I would mention that the students needed to work on their writing to be prepared for the next class, where those skills are more important and in which they will eventually be tested (lower levels are tested only in speaking and listening skills). I have spoken about how long students usually spend in my class and in subsequent classes so they see the long view and that they need to move forward if they ever want to be proficient. Twice a year, when we give certificates of completion for levels, I give a speech that consists mainly of talking about movement from class to class, that it's something even children endure. I acknowledge in the speech that we don't always like one teacher as much as another but that continuing to attend is important to go to the next level. During these ceremonies, we also acknowledge students who have come up through all of our classes so that students see that there are others who have persisted and survived each teacher's class. Over the course of years the problem has diminished, most noticeably over the last couple of years. It's a particular delight for me to see so many of my former students in the higher level classes.

Though our students can be shifted from one class to another at any time, we only shift groups of students in July and January, so I now have a new crop who have come up from the lowest level into mine. Rather than being frightened, timid or reluctant, they are clearly happy to be there, to have moved up. Finally it is not only seen as not being a punishment but as a happy occurrence. Today I started one of the most difficult lessons I teach and they were not intimidated. This is amazing. Even the lowest student (my class includes three levels) appeared to understand and left with a smile. More than one student has that hungry look that means they intend to take whatever I have to give because they intend to move on as soon as possible, which is fine with me.

One huge triumph is the comfort level of woman who has serious literacy issues. Her speaking level is actually beyond my class. However, we haven't been able to get her to blend letters and read. It has been a huge struggle and more than one person has attempted it. However, this student gets very emotional because she's sure there's something wrong with her. The minute she runs into difficulty, she starts to cry. Emotions block further learning. Until she can move forward without the tears, it's hard to say to what extent a disability is involved.

You could say I've been courting this student for 6 months because I know she simply needs to come up to my class, ready or not. I was able to get her to come this month but she has been a little nervous about whether she could do it. Today she seemed comfortable in my class from beginning to end. She was paired with a helper and they worked great together. When I asked her to demonstrate her understanding at the board, she didn't fuss. When I asked her to try reading one word (everyone was), she didn't melt into tears but took a stab at it with a respectable result. She has already technically "made progress" in our program by going up one speaking level, but this ability to face the task of reading without tears, or insisting that she can't do it, is the most incredible progress and those who make decisions about the value of what we do in the classroom will never know it occurred.

The same is true with the ease with which this crop of students moved up to my class, the utter seamlessness of it, that none of them had to be dragged or cajoled. Not one student balked when I went to get them to bring them to my class. In fact one was given a choice, his test score being borderline, and jumped at the opportunity. The same is true of the students I sent up to the next level. They felt confident that they were ready. Not one of them tried to show up in my class again. Our students are wanting to move forward. This is the way it should be.